Technical Director - USAID ACCESS

Pathfinder is seeking an experienced Technical Director for the anticipated USAID-funded Accelerating Choice, Equity, and Sustainability for Services (ACCESS) project. The purpose of this project is to improve sexual reproductive health and related health outcomes among adolescents/youth and other underrepresented and underserved populations by advancing excellence, innovation, and best practices in service delivery.

The Technical Director will provide overall strategic direction and technical leadership for the program, support project staff in the field to strengthen the capacity of host-country counterparts to implement evidence-based and high-impact services and evaluate the quality and outcomes of project interventions. The Technical Director will collaborate and coordinate with technical team leads of USAID ACCESS to ensure that implementation is based on the most up-to-date standards and guidelines and will contribute to global leadership discussions with USAID and other international bodies. The Technical Director will operate under the leadership of the Chief of Party and Pathfinder’s senior management team and will oversee and ensure the technical and methodological soundness of all project activities.

This position is contingent upon project award and funding.

Major Activities And Responsibilities

Technical Leadership

• Lead planning and innovative program adaptation and implementation, create a realistic and donor-responsive timeline, and continuously evaluate project progress towards achieving project goals.
• Utilize a participatory approach to developing and updating the project strategic plan, ensuring programmatic directions are technically-sound, evidence-based and consistent with international standards.
• Provide technical capacity strengthening to project staff and partners in support of project objectives, including leadership for gender-responsive FP/RH programming.
• Provide technical assistance and capacity strengthening to government and local actors in support of sustainable impact.
  
  
  

Program Management

• Lead the successful programmatic and technical implementation of the FP/RH components of the project including design, and implementation of activities.
• Assist COP in addressing FP/RH technical and programmatic issues related to the project.
• Support the monitoring of project progress vis-a-vis expected objectives, utilizing tools and methods developed by Pathfinder and other partners, and ensuring effective usage of resources and compliance with donor requirements.
• Ensure that technical documentation strategy is developed to showcase project knowledge generated, tools and achievements for broad dissemination (technical brief, annual reports and communications materials).
  
  
  

Capacity Building

• Ensure quality implementation of programming and achievement of agreed upon objectives and targets in accordance with established schedules and timelines among subcontrators and subgrantees.
• Support other country programs, provide technical assistance, and foster cross-country collaboration.
• Cultivate strong relations with different Pathfinder business units to achieve organizational goals and provide periodic updates to staff worldwide on the progress, challenges, successes, and lessons learned in managing the project.
  
  
  

Organizational Representation and Collaboration

• Maintain communication with Pathfinder Global teams to build skills in Family Planning and RH, to discuss and address challenges, and to leverage applicable Pathfinder evidence-based interventions, resources and approaches are being applied throughout the project.
• Liaise with donors, partners, host government agencies, and other key stakeholders to share progress, accomplishments, and challenges to ensure dissemination and incorporation of evidence-based practices.
• Contribute to project learning through establishment of national learning platforms, regional learning exchanges, and global evidence base.
  
  
  

Minimum Education And Work Experience

• A master’s degree or higher in public health, health systems or a related advanced degree.
• Minimum twelve (12) years of progressive program management experience overseeing technical teams on large and complex donor-funded projects.
• Be fully conversant with global evidence-based FP/RH practices. Strong technical skills in FP/RH
• Strong project management and technical skills, and prior experience working with staff and stakeholders from multiple partners and across multiple countries.
• Extensive experience in the area of training on service delivery and developing and implementing quality assurance approaches.
• Direct experience with gender, youth and adolescent FP/RH programming is strongly preferred.
• Excellent writing and oral communication skills.
• Fluency in English is required (written and oral).
• The Technical Director is expected to travel to the focus countries and to regional events, as required.